Portable marine foundation



May 11, 1943. H. E. GROSS 2,318,685

PORTABLE MARINE FOUNDATION Filed Nov. 16, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY5 May 11, 1943. H. E. GROSS PORTABLE MARINE FOUNDATION Filed Nov. 16,1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 'WEL AT1ORNEY5.

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ATTORNEY.

May 11, 1943. H. E. GROSS PORTABLE MARINE FOUNDATION Filed Nov. 16, 19594 She ts-Sheet 4 'IIIIIIIII flew? E 7066 Q TOR. mm

ATTORNEYS Patented May 11, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT :OFFICE PORTABLEMARINE FOUNDATION Henry Emmett Gross, (lollege Station, Tex. ApplicationNovember 16, 1939, Serial No. 304,646

4 Claims.

The invention relates to a portable marine foundation which is ofparticular advantage in moderately deep bodies of water where it isdesired to provide a foundation which can be floated into position andremoved after it has served its purpose so as to avoid the expense anddelay of providing a piling structure to form a permanent foundation.

One of the principal occasions for a foundation of this sort is inconnection with the drilling of so as to either float or anchor thefoundation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable. pontoon inconnection with a marine foundation 'so that the pontoon may bepositioned above the center of gravity to float the foundation and wherethe tower may be lowered around the pontoon to anchored position and thepontoon thereafter raised to be used as a reservoir.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pontoon for floating afoundation which can be utilized as a base upon which to erect a derrickor other structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable marinefoundation having a pontoon thru which drilling operations may beconducted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a marine foundation whichmay be floated into position, suitably anchored in place and. adjustedas to elevation.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an apparatus for preventinglateral movement of a marine foundation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hydraulic jackconstruction for use in portable marine foundation legs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for adjustinga pontoon relative to erecting a portable marine foundation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a. mechanism foradjusting the elevation of a marine foundation relative to a pontoonwhich is utilized to float the foundation.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent whenthe following description is considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1' is a diagrammatic view of the marine foundation being floated inposition with the pontoon.

Fig. 2 shows the foundation as having been deposited on the earthsurface and the pontoon raised to a position for use as a reservoir andwith a derrick as having been erected upon the foundation.

Fig. 3 shows a view of the foundation located in position with thepontoon submerged.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view looking down on the foundation, andillustrates the configuration of the base which may be provided but mayalso illustrate the platform configuration.

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged detail view partly in section of the mechanismfor adjusting the pontoon relative to the foundation.

Fig. 6 shows a bracketor clamp to be attached to the leg of thefoundation to anchor the pontoon in position to float the foundation.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section of one of the foundation legs toillustrate the manner of forming a trackway for the pontoon.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the outside of the leg of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 shows a construction for forcing a locating spike into the earthformation by hydraulic pressure. I

Fig. 10 shows the manner of removing the 10- cating spike.

Fig. 11 is a transverse view of the equipment illustrating the locationof the leg spikes.

In Fig. 1 the marine foundation is illustrated generally at 2 and ismade up of a framework 3. This frame is in turn made up of the verticallegs 4, the transverse members 5. and thecross bracing 6, so as to forma rectangular framework which will be rigidly braced. It seems clearfrom Fig. 1 that this framework is made up of a, plurality of sections8, four of which are shown mounted one upon the other in Fig. 1. Thelegs 4 may be of any desired length to extend thru a plurality ofsections or they may beof a length equal to the height of only onesection.

The base of the foundation has a spread footing III which is in the formof horizontal beams II which are reenforced by the diagonal braces l2.This footing may extend in all directions frorgligie framework 3 so asto provide a secure foot upon the earth surface at [3 and may take theconfiguration shown in Fig. 4.

If the surface I3 is soft any type of additional sp read footing may beprovided such as girders or planks across beneath the base l9.

' Arranged inside of the frame 9 is a pontoon I! which is in the form ofa tank or reservoir which as seen in Fig. 4 fits into the legs 4 whichare in the form of angle irons having the flanges extending along thesides of the foundation. The pontoon may be of any desired height butmust be so designed so as to have sumcient flotation effect to supportthe foundation in water so that it may be transported from one locationto another as indicated in Fig. 1. The pontoon is preferably made ofmetal and has an, opening ll in the center thereof to permit drillingoperations to be conducted thru the pontoon.

If desired the base of the foundation framework may be loaded with pigiron or other heavy material so as to lower the center of gravity of thetower in order to assure verticality while it is being floated out tosea.

The detailed construction of the leg 4 is best seen in Fig. 7 where anangle iron coupling It has been fixed to the angle iron leg sections 4by the bolts l9. In order to cover the inner heads of the bolts l9 8.lining or trackway 29 preferably of wood has been placed in position soas to form a smooth trackway and a similar protective liner 2| may beplaced on the comer of the tank or pontoon II. In this manner thepontoon will slide smoothly in the legs of the pontoons as guide memberswhen the foundation is to be moved relative to the pontoon.

Fig. 8 shows the coupling l8 and the bolts I9 as connecting the legsections 4.

In order to place the pontoon in any desired anchored elevation relativeto the foundation a bracket 25 is seen in Fig. 6. This bracket is in theform of a gusset plate which is affixed to the angle iron legs 4 by thebolts 26 and to the body of the pontoon by the bolts 21. In this mannerthe pontoon can be anchored as seen in Fig. 1 just above the center ofgravity of the frame or foundation and the foundation can then be towedto the desired location.

When the desired location is reached and the foundation is to besubmerged, it seems obvious that the pontoon I! can be fllled with waterso as to allow the entire foundation to settle on the earth surface I3and the foundation will assume the position as shown in Fig. 3 if thepontoon is completely filled with water and allowed to settle to thebottom of the foundation. Fig. 3 shows a plurality of lag spikes 29which have been forced into the earth formation so as to locate thefoundation and prevent lateral swaying or creeping movement due to waveaction or currentsin the body of water. These spikes may or may not beused as circumstances require.

The tank I! may be used as a submerged stor-v age tank as seen in Fig. 3or it may be elevated as seen in Fig. 2. A suitable pumping mechanism 30is shown in Fig. 2 by which the pontoon may mechanism by which thepontoon may be moved.

In this construction the gusset plate such as 25 in Fig. 6 has beenreversed and attached to the leg 4 some distance beneath the pontoon II.A pressure cylinder 32 is then. deposited upon the bracket 29 and heldin place by the clamps 32.

This pressure cylinder carries the piston cylinder 34 which has asealing member 2! thereon to form a seal with the inside of the cylinder32. A suitable pressure connection 9! controlled by a valve 98 isarranged so thatfluid under pressure may be introduced into the cylinder32. There are preferably four of these cylinders. one arranged at eachcorner in the legs 4 of the frame 3. When fluid under pressure isintroduced in the cylinder it will cause the piston 24 to rise and thispiston abuts the under side of the pontoon IS. The same fluid pressurecan be introduced into all four cylinders so that the pontoon may beraised uniformly. At spaced intervals in the legs 4 are the openings 39.These openings are arranged to receive the stop bar 49 which passes thruthe openings 4| in the piston cylinder 34. When the piston cylinderarrives at such an elevation with the bar 49 at the elevation of theopening 99 then the bars can be moved into the opening to support theontoon as seen in Fig. 2.

If it is desired to raise the pontoon a greater distance than the lengthwhich the piston can travel in the cylinder 32 then an additional lengthof cylinder 92 may be added while the pontoon is supported by the bar 49or the bracket 25 may be removed and moved upwardly one section so as toagain telescope the piston 34 into the cylinder 22. In this manner thepentoon may be raised step by step by this hydraulic jack construction.

Fig. 2 shows an arrangement for driving the lag spikes 29 into the earthformation 13 and constitutes the same structure that has just beendescribed in connection with the movement of the pontoon II. In thisform of Fig. 9 the cylinder 92' has been inverted and its upper end isbased against the bracket 25 attached to the leg 4 and the upper end ofthe lag spike 29 carries the sealing member 35. Thus the entire weightof the foundation is utilized in supplying hydraulic pressure to forcethe lag spikes into the earth formation.

When these lag spikes are to be removed a pipe such as may be threadedinto the couplings 46 onthe upper end of the spike and any suitablemechanism from the top of the foundation utilized to exert a pull on thecylinder 32' so that the entire spike and cylinder would be withdrawn inthis manner.

Fig. 11 shows a view of the lag spikes and the bracket in transversesection. I

'Figs. 2 and "4 show a platform 50 which has been built upon the uppersection ii of the foundation. -This platform may of course take anydesired configuration and is shown as'octagonal in Fig. 4. The braces 52support the outer edge of the formation and it may be utilized as thederrick floor where the foundation is to be used for a drillingoperation. Under such circumstances the derrick 53 would be erected onthis platform or floor and the drilling equipment carried on theplatform.

It is to be understood that the invention may take various forms and isof particular advantage in marine drilling operations. It may be used asa temporary or portable foundation for a pile driver in deeper water andremoved as soon as it has served its purpose. Where rough water isencountered several such foundations may be anchored together and sunkas a unit or deposited independently and thereafter anchored together.In other instances it may operate as a service unit for servicing a wellwhich has been previously drilled and from which production is piped tothe shore under the surface of the water.

The pontoon may be raised to the elevation of the platform or floor 50and utilized as a portion of such floor as seen in Fig. 4 or it may beutilized in any desired manner.

When the foundation is to be removed the pontoon may be submerged asseen irr Fig. 3 and then the water or liquid partially discharged fromit with compressed air. In this manner some buoyant effect might beobtained, then the pontoon could be raised to the position above thecenter of gravity so as to properly float the foundationwhen the lagspikes were removed as shown in Fig. 10.

It is to be understood that this foundation may be transported as acomplete unit with any desired number of sections or it may even betransported with the platform 50 and derrick 53 in place.

Broadly the invention contemplates a portable foundation which has apontoon therein for use for floating the foundation and for use as areservoir as a storage unit.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable marine foundation including a framework, a footing thereonto support said framework, a pontoon within said framework, andhydraulically operable means to pump liquid or fluid into and out ofsaid pontoon so as to move said pontoon upwardly relative to theframework so as to float the framework or to deposit it as a foundation,said framework comprising detachable section having legs to serve as a.trackway for said pontoon.

2. In a portable marine foundation, comprising a framework having legportions, a pontoon disposed in said framework, a trackway for saidpontoon comprising said leg portions, and means to effect relativemovement between the frame and the pontoon.

3. In a portable marine foundation, comprising a framework having legportions,'a pontoon disposed in said framework, a trackway for saidpontoon comprising said leg vportions, and means to efiect relativemovement between the frame and the pontoon, said means including anhydraulic jack construction.

4. In a portable marine foundation, comprising a framework having legportions, a pontoon disposed in said framework, a trackway for saidpontoon comprising said leg portions, and means to effectrelativemovement between the frame and the pontoon, said means including anhydraulic jack construction, and anchor means for the pontoon on theframe so that the pontoon may be moved step by step.

HENRY EMMETT GROSS.

